Took the dog to the vet this morning to get her BSL checked – it was 53 which is on the low side. So the vet cut her insulin back to 8U (from 13U). Fubar has gained about a pound since the last visit, all good news. But Monday she goes in to have a tumor removed. I won’t know its status until after the biopsy, but doc says she has a 60% chance it’s benign, so I’m hopeful.
As for my writing, I worked on the Soho chapter yesterday – made some substantial improvements with just a tweak here and there, but I feel there is still work to do (especially since I didn’t get to the end of the chapter yet – doh!).
There are so many challenges when writing a memoir. First and foremost, if one intends to sell it, it has to be interesting to others. Then there is the memory/recall aspect. There’s what I don’t remember at all, what I don’t remember clearly, what I remember incorrectly, and finally, the little bits that I remember right. That’s why it’s been great finding and talking with those in the book, not only to get their take on events but also to make sure the writing isn’t completely insane.
There’s another challenge that’s hard to deal with at times. Bringing up memories that may or may not be pleasant, or even ordinary ones that you’d never imagine remembering so many years after the fact. I can hear my mom chittering away all excited to tell me the latest news as my dad is making the coffee in the kitchen. I’ve just got off the British Airways flight to Dhahran and it feels so good to be home. The sounds and smells, the nuances that had been lost to time, come seeping back in. What makes it harder is realizing how much time was wasted in looking to tomorrow.
Ah well, time moves in one direction only. While authors like Norman Ollestad teach their kids to never give up, I’m teaching mine to savor every moment to the fullest (while reminding myself of Norman’s excellent advice).